AVP, Underwriting

Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

This position is ideally based in Addison, TX or Montpelier, VT with a hybrid work arrangement. Remote work may be considered for candidates located outside of a reasonable commuting distance to these offices.

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Underwriting leader to be head of our dynamic and growing core markets team. This senior leadership role requires a data-driven, forward-thinking leader who can provide strategic oversight, drive innovation, and focus on the development of our team. The ideal candidate will balance top and bottom-line objectives, ensuring our underwriting practices are both competitive and compliant while fostering a culture of excellence and growth.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Vision:

• Develop and articulate a clear, forward-looking underwriting strategy that aligns with our corporate goals. Work across our department and enterprise to ensure that underwriting strategy deepens the value chain and competitive edge that we offer to our customers.
• Foster a solution-oriented mindset within the core market Underwriting department, promoting innovation and continuous process and workflow management improvement.

Industry Leadership and Presence:

• Elevate National Life brand by actively participating in industry events, committees, advisory boards, and vendor meetings. Establish our organization as a Center of Excellence in underwriting, setting industry standards and driving thought leadership.

Field Engagement and Relationship Building:

• Collaborate with field and key distribution leaders to recruit and educate producers on our underwriting practices and target demographics. Cultivate strong relationships with field leadership and producers, integrating their feedback into the underwriting process and directly addressing complex issues when necessary.

Team Development and Leadership:

• Uses data insights and innovative tools to assess current staffing models and, based on projections, make recommendations on ways to support the growing business.
• Lead a high-performing underwriting team, focusing on hiring, development, succession planning, and career growth.
• Provide mentorship and strategic guidance on managing a diverse portfolio of cases, including large and complex cases.
• Inspire and motivate the team to achieve our business growth plans, while effectively managing the underwriting budget.

Innovation and Competitive Advantage:

• Champion innovative underwriting practices that enhance our competitive edge, focusing on improving quality, speed, and agent satisfaction.

Product Development and Enhancement:

• Influence product development by providing insights based on field feedback, competitive intelligence, and market analysis.
• Continuously refine risk selection criteria to maintain a competitive position in the market.

Standards, Compliance, and Quality Assurance:

• Drive productivity and service standards to ensure National Life remains competitively differentiated, safeguarding profitability through high-quality risk selection.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant insurance regulations and laws, partnering with the legal team to address and resolve disputes.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. A master’s degree and significant industry certifications (FALU, FLMI, and/or CLU) are strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in the life underwriting industry, marked by strong business relationships, skilled leadership, and proven business results.
• Recognized as an industry leader with a strong external reputation, capable of attracting and engaging new distribution groups to National Life Group.

Skills and Abilities:

Strategic Focus: Demonstrated ability to manage and influence people and initiatives with a strategic, externally focused approach.

Leadership: Exceptional leadership skills with a balance of sales and marketing acumen and a collaborative problem-solving style. Must be able to role model Servant Leadership principles and hold others accountable within the underwriting organization.

Innovation: Possess an innovative and solution-oriented mindset with a forward-thinking perspective on demographic and risk changes.

Proactive and Collaborative: High energy, strong bias for action, and a collaborative nature. Takes initiative and works effectively with minimal supervision.

Technical Expertise:

• Extensive knowledge in complex case underwriting, and living benefits.
• Broad experience across affiliated, independent, and brokerage channels.
• Understanding of product development, illustrations, and pricing.
• Ability to work with advanced sales and specialty risks, including foreign national, executive bonus, large case, and premium finance niches.
• Experience with COLI, small group, and critical or chronic cases is a plus.
• Deposition experience is desirable.

Business Acumen: Broad industry perspective with strong general business acumen. Understanding of the evolving compliance and regulatory environment.

Relationship Building: Ability to attract business, foster loyalty among agents, and build strong relationships both with field associates and the home office team.

Communication: Excellent communication skills, enthusiastic and articulate. Ability to develop and present to large audiences.

Background Check: Candidate must successfully pass a background check.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required. A master’s degree and significant industry certifications (FALU, FLMI, and/or CLU) are strongly preferred.

Core Work Days

This position is presently onsite/hybrid with the expectation of being in the office four days per week with current campus days being Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (subject to change with advance notification and manager discretion).

AI Proficiency Expectations

At National Life Group, we view AI as an enabler of human potential. We use AI to help us work smarter, serve more clients, and keep our promises, while remaining a relationship-driven business where our people are our greatest strength.

All applicants are expected to:

• Leverage approved AI tools, where appropriate, to improve the efficiency, quality, and impact of their work.
• Stay curious and open to new AI-enabled ways of working.
• Exercise sound judgment by reviewing and validating AI-generated content.
• Maintain accountability for the accuracy, quality, fairness, and integrity of work products by adhering to National Life’s AI guiding principles.
• Use AI responsibly and in accordance with company policies related to confidentiality, data privacy, security, compliance, retention and intellectual property.

Applicants in AI-forward roles are also expected to:

• Identify practical opportunities to apply AI to improve workflows, productivity, analysis, and business outcomes.
• Create effective prompts, workflows, controls, and human-in-the-loop (HITL) review processes that support responsible AI use.
• Critically evaluate AI-generated outputs for accuracy, quality, bias, fairness, confidentiality, compliance, security, and business relevance.
• Partner appropriately with Legal, Compliance, Risk, Security, Data/Technology, and business stakeholders to move AI ideas from experimentation to responsible adoption.
• Help model responsible, human-centered AI adoption across the organization.

Benefits

• Your benefits start day one and are flexible and customizable to your and your family’s specific needs. Check out the BENEFITS of a Career at National Life!